Kenosha Reporter

Kenosha County Clerk Regi Waligora addressed concerns regarding the tracking of ballots from the November 5, 2024, election in Wisconsin's MyVote system. Waligora explained that difficulties in tracking ballots post-election are common and typically go unnoticed unless during a Presidential Election.

Waligora noted that Kenosha County saw over 91,000 ballots cast in the recent General Election, with more than 47,000 being absentee ballots. Processing these absentee ballots takes additional time. She shared her own experience trying to track her absentee ballot, which was initially visible but later disappeared from the system.

The issue arises because the "track-my-ballot" tool in MyVote is updated for future elections and stops displaying information from past elections after midnight on election day. This update allows voters to begin tracking their next ballot, especially relevant for those with upcoming special elections like the Racine County Executive race.

Municipal clerks across Wisconsin are currently entering voter participation data from the General Election into WisVote, which feeds into MyVote. This process can take between 30 to 45 days post-election for all information to be logged. Voter participation will only reflect once individual records are updated by municipal clerks as part of election reconciliation.

For most voters, requesting an absentee ballot will not be possible until January 1, 2025. At that point, requests can be made for specific elections or all elections within that year.